Working at TVH Equipment, a family business

TVH Equipment has been a true family business for over 50 years. This is especially evident at our headquarters in Waregem, where you can take that statement quite literally. Many families from West Flanders and northern France have multiple members who earn their living at TVH Equipment. We asked four duos how they feel about it.

Ruddy Lannuzel has been working for TVH Equipment since 2005 and is currently an expert (electro)mechanic. His son Theo joined the company as a machine inspector in the fall of 2021.

Ruddy: "I ended up here through a friend who worked at TVH Parts and recommended me when he heard that the company was looking for electro-mechanics. I came for a guided tour and saw all the machines that we also had at my previous workplace in France. The only difference was that the technical support here was much better. So, I didn't hesitate for long to make the switch to TVH Equipment."

Theo: "My story with TVH Equipment started with a 5-week holiday job. One day, I saw a job offer for a machine inspector on a screen in the workshop. When I asked my dad what he thought of it, he was immediately enthusiastic. One and a half years later, I am still very happy with my choice. Although we are not in the same team as machine inspector, we still work together regularly. If I notice a defect during my inspection, I have to report it to my dad. He then assigns one of his team members to make the necessary repairs."

Ruddy: "We cross the border together every day from our home in northern France. Since I have flexible hours, I can easily adapt to his schedule. We are not direct colleagues, but when our paths cross, I treat him like any other colleague. If I feel that something is not quite right, I tell him straight away. I don't spare him just because he happens to be my son. Now that I'm becoming one of the veterans, I feel like everyone's father. At least among the French speakers. If they have something on their mind, they sometimes find it easier to come to me than to their Flemish supervisors."

Theo: "Here, we are simply colleagues and we interact professionally. We often have our lunch break together and occasionally discuss what is going well or not so well. Although it's very convenient for me to always have an experienced mentor around, I don't spend all my time running after my dad. At home, we obviously have very different roles, and we can perfectly separate the professional and the private. We don't spend our time talking about work."

Ruddy: "No, I don't regret encouraging Theo to apply at TVH Equipment at all. He does his job well, and everyone is satisfied with him, including me. I had full confidence beforehand that it would work out. He simply knows when to take responsibility. At work, at least..." (laughs)